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What’s on the plate for AAJA Seattle

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Outgoing and incoming AAJA members hold a retreat to discuss 2012.

By Lauren Rabaino

Members of the old board and freshly-elected AAJA Seattle board met at a retreat last week to hand off ideas and kick off the new year. Thanks to all the board members for coming, and to Sharon Chan for hosting the event in her condo building. Here are some raw notes from the meeting about what we have planned for 2012.

Sanjay, the outgoing president, outlined the chapter history for new board members:

  • Founded in mid-’80s, 1986. Third nat’l chapter after LA and SF
  • 2006 reached milestone of raising 100k
  • Founders scholarship, try to give out one per year

Three priorities that AAJA Seattle has established

  1. Outreach – partnership with SPJ for savings for AAJA members. Trying to figure out how to engage members more.
  2. Mentoring
  3. Training

More

Good news for freelancers: Public Insight Network is acquiring Spot.us

By Lauren Rabaino

If you’re a freelancer and you haven’t heard of Spot.us yet, you’ve been missing out. (Full disclosure: I worked as a contract designer for Spot.us from Dec. 2009 – Jan 2011). Spot.us is a crowd-funded reporting platform that allows reporters and organizations to submit story ideas, set a funding goal, and raise money from the public toward that goal.

But this week, the possibilities for Spot.us just got a lot more interesting: They were acquired by the Public Insight Network. As part of American Public Media, PIN is a platform that gives journalists access to a repository of knowledgeable sources to help make their reporting stronger.

So the merger means that freelancers who pitch stories will have both the means of raising money, plus the access to people who can give quality information about those stories. Read more about it here.

Defending press freedom for student journalists at WWU

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By Gina Cole

To use a metaphor that sports writers may jibe me for: some of my peers at Western Washington University seem to view college not as the season opener to adult life, but as merely a scrimmage. “Sure, we’re doing the same things, but they don’t affect our record right now.”

It sounds implausible that members of the digital generation who document their lives on social networks would delude themselves that way. But let’s forget about Facebook’s bottomless memory and humor them for a moment, because they almost had a major impact on our school’s interpretation of the First Amendment.

On Oct. 26, the Student Senate at Western introduced a resolution that would have allowed sources to back-edit Western publications’ content. It proposed that students or alumni featured in a publication could, one to 10 years later, tell the publication to delete the content and wipe it from the online archives.

I’m guessing most people reading this are journalists. While you folks pick your jaws up off the floor or try to control your incredulous laughter, I’ll explain the reasoning behind the proposal. More

What’s in Your Backpack, Journalist?

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If you’ve been looking for your next journalism position then you know your journey has probably been painfully bumpy against the backdrop of the lingering recession, newsroom cut backs, leaner paychecks, scarcity of jobs and scores of unemployed journalists eager to get back to another newsroom. Many others have even jumped the journalism ship in search of other opportunities.

Want a journalism job? Carry more tools to get hired, survive and thrive in the news industry. (Photo by Furhana Afrid)

You may have invested the last few months or years doing everything you could possibly do to help secure that next job. You’ve sent out hundreds of resumes tapes, relentlessly telephoned news directors to tell them why you are the “One,” hit the journalism conventions running and networked until you are blue in your face. You tweet and follow the who’s who on social media, and perhaps you accomplished all that on a very tight budget. It’s no wonder that your backpack feels heavier with discouragement and doubt about your future in journalism.

You thought you paid your dues by busting your rear end when you were trying to break into the journalism industry and then working yourself to the bone at your first or next job. Now it seems you are back to ground zero. Not really. You are a backpack journalist! (also known as a video, multimedia, multiplatform, digital or one-man/woman band journalist). You are accustomed to producing several stories a day under deadline. The tools in your backpack and your story-telling skills make it all happen. And with so much versatility at your fingertips you can do it all over again even if you are not working in a newsroom right now.

So journalist what’s in your backpack that can turn that long or short spell of unemployment or underemployment into an opportunity to innovate, explore and keep your skills sharp?

Three Tips to Strengthen Your Job Search Backpack:

Create Web Footprint: Employers are looking for creative self-starters. Your website is your broadcasting channel to showcase your multimedia skills. It’s your story-telling portfolio for video/online/audio stories, photographs and news writing. Many journalists are using WordPress.com or WordPress.org to create their sites and tell their stories. The good news…website design credentials are not required to own your own piece of real estate on the internet. You can also use other website developers like Tumblr, Drupal or Joomla. Plus free online tutorials will show you what to do. I’ve been using a WordPress tutorial from the Knight Digital Media Center. It’s an easy to follow, step-by-step approach. Try it.

Practice Super Story-telling: Jobs will come and go. So will tools. But your story-telling skills will be yours to keep and nurture. NBC multimedia journalist Thanh Truong told me at a recent AAJA convention that many journalists can shoot video, edit and deliver the news. But it’s how well you capture the essence of a story that differentiates one storyteller from another. As a master story-teller your chances of hitting a home run to your next journalism position improve significantly. So put your video gear to work. Check out Poynter’s News University online courses. These courses are affordable, sometimes free and will really help you craft compelling visual stories.

Nurture Strong Relationships: The journalism industry continues to shed jobs. CNN is reportedly one of the latest casualties with some fifty out the door. You know that you are not the only one. But when times are tough it is easy to spiral down into the abyss of pessimism, low self-esteem and isolation. So don’t turn into an island. Reach out to your trusted family, friends and peers. They will help you weather the storm and encourage you to stay afloat. Stay active in your community. Start groups with like-minded people. Volunteer your skills for a worthy cause. You have the ability to help change lives and your circumstances.

So journalist what else is in your backpack?

Furhana Afrid is a backpack journalist and social media manager.

Behind the scenes of The Seattle Times’ newest blog

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By Lauren Rabaino

A few weeks ago at The Seattle Times, we launched a new blog called The Today File. Technologically, the blog is a breath of fresh air in our newsroom that — like many traditional newsrooms– deals with a lot of legacy software.

We launched the blog on open-source blogging software WordPress, the very software that runs this blog and millions around the globe. It’s a place for us to break news, be more transparent, be more nimble about coverage, and do cool things on the web quickly.

I recently published a behind-the-scenes post to my personal blog that could be worth a read if you want to set up something similar in your newsroom, or on your own as a freelancer. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, see my post or email me directly! From my blog:

Prior to the launch of The Today File, we had a crime blog, weather blog, politics blog and a ton of other niche-topic blogs. If any other random in-between news broke (traffic, education, general metro), there wasn’t a home for it except as a “full story” i.e. something that originates in our print CMS (CCI) and goes through the standard workflow of being published to the web. It could sometimes take 10 or 15 minutes to get an item up on our site, and it could only be done from within the building.

Not only is this a many-step process, but it’s a print-centric one that doesn’t allow us to easily do things like hyperlinking, dropping in maps, sharing on social media, etc. WordPress, of course, changes all of that.

You can read the full details here.

AAJA Seattle student summer updates

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By Kyle Kim

In today’s recovering job market, I know firsthand as a recent graduate how competitive the news industry has been. So it is great to hear how fellow AAJA Seattle student members are still able to land opportunities in journalism.

Rachel Solomon is a print reporter turned radio broadcast journalist who was recently hired as a morning news producer for 97.3 KIRO FM.

Solomon received a Bachelor’s in Communication from the University of Washington in June where she spent time writing for the college’s student newspaper, The Daily. Her interest in radio led Solomon to produce a monthly This American Life-inspired radio podcat focusing on campus-life.

Her work has ended up in The Seattle Times, National Native News, KUOW, KPLU and KPBCS.

Listen to episodes of Solomon’s program “The Bark & The Bite” online.

Joanna Nolasco snagged an internship this summer at The Oregonian covering Washington County news after spending six months interning for The Seattle Times.

Nolasco was the recipient of the 2011 Northwest Journalists of Color Scholarship. The NJC scholarship program awards students in Washington state demonstrating talent and commitment in journalism.

She has also interned for The Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the summer of 2010.

Nolasco studies Journalism and Political Science at the University of Washington and is expected to graduate in 2012.

AAJA Seattle summer picnic on Saturday

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Come celebrate the summer (what’s left of it) this Saturday at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. The picnic starts at noon and runs the afternoon.

VP of Events Caroline Li is organizing this event.

WHERE DO WE MEET?
Lincoln Park, shelter 2 area tables 23-26 (but we don’t have the shelter, just the grill that is near the tables) See map, http://www.seattle.gov/parks/_images/maps/picnics/Lincoln1-2.pdf

WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING TO THE POTLUCK?
Please jot it down on this Google Docs.

NJC 2011 Scholarship Winners Announced! Blethen honored for diversity commitment.

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By Owen Lei

Congratulations to this year’s NJC scholarship recipients!  On the 25th anniversary of the Northwest Journalists of Color Scholarship, AAJA Seattle was able to award nearly $5,000 in scholarships to help offset the cost of tuition, send a student to the 2011 AAJA national convention in Detroit, and help pay for off-campus multimedia storytelling courses.

(above picture, from left to right) Mary Jean Spadafora, 911 Media Arts Scholarship; Joanna Nolasco, Northwest Journalists of Color Scholarship; Peter Sessum, Founder’s Scholarship; Gina Cole, NJC Scholarship. (not pictured: Katelin Chow, who won an NJC Scholarship, made a special appearance from Barcelona, Spain, via a pre-recorded webcam message)

Seattle Times Publisher and AAJA Platinum member Frank Blethen received a “leadership in diversity” award from AAJA-Seattle and the Seattle Association of Black Journalists.

 

Frank Blethen accepts Leadership in Diversity Award from NJC

 

 

Thanh Tan of the Texas Tribune, as keynote speaker, shared her experiences as a multimedia reporter/producer covering state politics at a non-profit journalism outlet.

The Texas Tribune is a non-profit journalism startup based in Austin that relies on diverse lines of revenue to sustain its hard-hitting reporting on state government and politics.

Here’s an excerpt from Thanh’s amazing keynote speech:

Will we succeed in our mission to be a non-profit, sustainable provider of public interest news? I don’t know. Will I still have a job in a year or two? I sure hope so. When I questioned whether I wanted to venture into the unknown, I leaned on my old Nightline executive producer, Tom Bettag, for help. Here’s what he told me, “As for the future of the Tribune and its model, I don’t think anyone knows. What we know is that it is a serious attempt to do important work. If it fails, it will be a noble failure. People will respect you for having done your best to make it work.”

If you’d told me seven years ago that I would NOT be working in television news. That instead, I’d be producing and writing for an online start-up in Austin, Texas. That I would be a multi-platform journalist– I’d have said, ‘Whatever. Yeah right.’ The bottom is I’ve worked in local TV news in small and big markets. I’ve worked in public broadcasting at a local and national level. All those experiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly… led me to where I am today and make me appreciate what I have so much more. You don’t have to follow my path. Create your own future, and know that it may look nothing like what you’re envisioning right now. But the basics are the same. Just do it. Find that first break. Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed.

Keep in touch with those whose work you admire. Break a few stories. Check your facts. Seek the truth. Hold the powerful accountable. Meet your deadlines. Learn from your mistakes. Survival in this industry may well be based on your ability to adapt your stories for different mediums—so learn all you can about how print, online, and broadcast work. Try new things—but always be mindful of your mission. And know that your job allows you to wield a certain amount of power that should not be abused. Pay attention to the people around you… listen to their stories, and understand that our work as journalists often gives voice to the voiceless. That’s a huge responsibility.

Times are changing for this industry—it is a FASCINATING time to be a journalist, if you do it for the right reasons. You’ve gotten this far. I promise you that with a little help from the Northwest Journalists of Color—and all the people who are around you today– you will go on to produce work that inspires and enlightens your community.

This is just the beginning of your journey, and I am so excited for you.

Thanh Tan and her father, Duc

One week left! NJC DEADLINE is May 1st.

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By Owen Lei

Time’s almost up!  The deadline is May 1, 2011.  (Postmarked by that date is fine)

Don’t put it off!! Last year we awarded four students with more than $2500 in scholarships and stipends. Â

Three scholarships are available:

Northwest Journalists of Color Scholarship:  Awards up to $2,500 in scholarship money to students who intend to pursue careers in journalism.  Other eligibility:  Either you’re a WA resident heading to college, or a college student in WA.  That’s it.

Founders’ Scholarship: Covers a student registration fee for the 2011 AAJA National Convention, which is Aug. 10-13 in Detroit.  A small stipend for travel and accommodations also is available.  Eligibility:  You are, or will become, a student member of AAJA. For more information about the convention, click here.

AAJA Seattle/911 Media Arts Student Scholarship:  We’re awarding two scholarships to AAJA Seattle student members for up to $400 in class costs, lab and rental fees at the 911 Media Arts Center in Seattle’s University District.

Click here to download a copy of the application. For more information contact scholarship chair Owen Lei at olei@king5.com.

Again the deadline in May 1!  Here’s where you send your applications!
AAJA Seattle Scholarships
c/o Owen Lei, KING-TV
333 Dexter Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109

Take your writing skills to the next level – free workshop

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This announcement about University of Washington alumnus Jack Hart comes to us by way of AAJA member Karen Gaudette. Thanks, Karen!

Struggling with writer’s block? Let journalism alum Jack Hart (’68), the former managing editor of “The Oregonian,” and the author of “A Writer’s Coach,” help you overcome!

Space is limited, so register through the link to reserve a spot! http://uwcommwritingworkshop.eventbrite.com/

You can’t improve your writing without changing your writing process. And this three-hour workshop will take you through every step of the writing process, focusing on take-it-to-the-keyboard advice you can put to work right away.

You’ll learn how to develop better ideas, make your information-gathering more efficient, find a focus and draft quickly. You’ll fill your writing toolbox with new tips and tricks.
And, best of all, you’ll learn how to write without the pain that moved Gene Fowler to say, “Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”

Learn the essentials of good writing. Bring ideas to write about and something to write with — laptops are fine, but paper and pencil will work just as well.

Copies of Jack Hart’s book will be available at the event.

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